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The first cut on a new reduction woodblock. Love the bright carved areas that reinforce the composition. The challenge will be to maintain the dynamic quality through the printing process.

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A Century of Printmaking in Colorado

The exhibit "A Century of Printmaking in Colorado" is now on display at DIA in the southeast corner of the 5th level. The exhibit gives a brief summary of printmaking over the past century in Colorado and describes the contributions made by various institutions and individuals. The seeds for the exhibit were planted in January 2015 as I was traveling through Denver International Airport. As a volunteer for the Month of Printmaking event scheduled for March 2016, I was constantly on the hunt for ways to promote the month long event. The Community Glass Cases by the new Westin Hotel seemed such a wonderful opportunity to promote and develop awareness of the long history printmaking has had in Colorado. The six glass cabinets give a brief summary of printmaking in Colorado over the past century, describing the contributions made by various institutions and individuals. Located at the well traveled southeast corner of baggage claim area, each glass cabinet is divided in...

Cutting The Blocks

The first step is to outline the areas that will remain with a stop-cut. The stop cut will stop a clearing cut and maintain crisp edges on the areas to print. Use either a straight edge blade or a V-gouge to define an edge of a raised printing area. Make an initial cut about 1/16” away from the edge and then come back in and carefully refine the edge as desired. Once all the edges have been define with a stop-cut, the waste areas can be removed with a flat gouge or chisel. The stop-cuts will help prevent over-cuts when clearing away the waste areas. This is an excerpt from the booklet "Reduction Woodblocks" with tips and guides on creating reduction woodblock prints. Available from the DCArtPressBookstore .

Having Control While Carving

Understanding how to apply drive and braking action to the cutters will allow for better control and cleaner cuts. One hand provides the force to drive the blade through the wood, while the other hand is providing a braking action, preventing the blade from skipping out of the cutting area. The handle of the cutter should rest in the palm of the hand that will be pushing the blade. The thumb or forefinger of the other hand should be near the front of the blade providing a downward motion, applying resistance to the drive hand. A gentle braking pressure allows the blade to move forward and a heavier braking pressure slows or stops the carving action. Securing the block is essential to safety and controlled cuts. A “ bench hook” offers an easy and versatile means of maintaining control of the block while carving. A bench hook is a flat panel larger than the block with lips mounted to opposite ends and sides of the panel. With one lip hooked on the edge of a table, the opposing lip pr...

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